Clear communication key to address gender equality issues

Clear communication is needed to ensure matters involving gender equality are addressed progressively, said Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO), a non-profit organisation in Malaysia.

The recognition that women have the right to equality should be stemmed within society, and this can be achieved through conversations, said Sumitra Visvanathan, executive director of the WAO, reported The Star. 

“We can talk about the structural change, the substantive change with laws and policies and the budget, but if the underlying attitude doesn’t change, there is a problem,” noted Visvanathan.

“This can only happen through conversations on equality and non-discrimination, and one way through this, is education among family, in colleges and in the business environment,” she explained. “The visibility of equality is important; we need to get to a stage where we normalise seeing women in top positions.”

She highlighted the need for a gender-responsive budget, and that it is important to recognise the social value that women tend to take charge of like unpaid care burden. 

READ: Gig economy framework proposed in Malaysia

“There are a number of studies that show a positive correlation between companies with a greater proportion of women in senior decision-making positions and the economic performance of the company itself,” said Roberto Benetello, executive director, Business Council for Sustainable Development Malaysia, who was the moderator at the WAO forum on building a gender equal workforce.